•
Rating: The Placebo choose the enchanting and fascinating Castello Scaligero in Villafranca as the location for their return to Italy. And what a return!!
"Battle For The Sun", the band's latest effort, has been in stores for just over a month, and Brian, Stefan, and Steve prove they can perform its songs live excellently.
Steve. Indeed. No longer Steve Hewitt (who left the group after the exhausting "Meds" tour), but Steve Forrest. I would start with him. The guy is really talented. The former versatile drummer from Evaline (also the supporting act for Placebo on the previous tour) unexpectedly opens the show by suddenly appearing on stage and announcing, to everyone's surprise, that he will entertain the audience before the show at Molko's express request. Acoustic guitar, a great voice, and lots of energy accompany the 5 songs, unknown to many, performed by the new American drummer. Not bad at all. And the crowd appreciates.
The performance ends, and anticipation grows. The castle fills up, the sun is about to set. At 9:30 sharp, the large screen at the back of the stage starts flashing with a white light, alternating with the band's logo on an electronic base. The wait is over. Stefan, Steve, and finally Brian appear on stage in order.
The crowd goes wild, the show begins with the beautiful and powerful "Kitty Litter". Placebo is in excellent form, which is evident from the first notes. They continue with three other tracks from the latest work: "Ashtrey Heart", the beautiful and intense title track "Battle for the Sun", and the single "For What It's Worth". And it is right after this song that something strange happens: "No violence at Placebo show!!" declares the group's leader. Brian puts down his guitar, threatens not to continue playing, and invites the first two rows to step back. The cause? A wild mosh pit that led to a rather violent fight. After all, the phrase on Steve's drum is telling: "We came in peace!!".
After this small hitch, the concert resumes spectacularly with "Soulmates", magnificently rearranged, with "Speak in tongues" (beautiful and melancholic), and with the poignant "Follow The Cops Back Home", very moving and made even more beautiful thanks to Fiona Brice, a captivating violinist/keyboardist.
Another interruption between these two songs. Technical problems this time, probably with Stefan's pedalboard. A pity, as the two pauses broke the rhythm of the concert a bit and were a bit bothersome, but they did not affect the trio's performance at all.
It's the turn of "Every You Every Me", as engaging as ever; one of those tracks that live, performs excellently, even more so when it departs so much from the studio version, and the Placebo have always shown particular inventiveness in this regard (the live performance of Angkor Wat is proof!!).
In the rest of the setlist: "Special Needs", always emotional; an intriguing "Meds" that starts slow and acoustic before exploding into its dynamism; the "new" "The Never Ending Why" (the live version makes the track more powerful and interesting than the album version), "Come Undone", the stunning "Happy You're Gone", and the iconic "Song To Say Goodbye" and "Special K", whose chorus still echoes within the Scaligero walls.
The band leaves the stage, but the audience eagerly awaits seeing the guys back in action.
After barely ten minutes of waiting, the screen starts flashing again, broken by intermittent colored waves, on the prolonged base of "Infra-Red": the "Encore" begins. The second piece of "Meds" is enveloping and energetic. Truly a beautiful version. They follow with "The Bitter End", as always appreciated by fans and "Taste In Men", deafening, noisy, and powerful as ever.
The guys put down their instruments and bow before their audience. Unfortunately, the show has ended.
A truly beautiful concert, in an ideal setting and with practically perfect acoustics.
Brian's voice was fantastic: warm, intense, sweet. The "Steve Forrest" surprise was enjoyable, charismatic, and powerful. Excellent in the new pieces, maybe a tad too fast in some of the old ones. In any case, it was a good idea to allow the audience to get to know the new band member with the pre-show performance. The rest of the band did well too.
It's a pity it wasn't a bit longer. "Devil In The Details", "Without You I'm Nothing", "Twenty Years", "Pure Morning", "Teenage Angst" would have significantly embellished the show and made it memorable.
In November, Placebo will return to Italy on the 29th in Bologna and the 30th in Milan. I recommend not missing it!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Pure Morning (04:14)
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend with weed is better
A friend with breasts and all the rest
A friend who's dressed in leather
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend who'll tease is better
Our thoughts compressed
Which makes us blessed
And makes for stormy weather
A friend in need's a friend indeed
My Japanese is better
And when she's pressed she will undress
And then she's boxing clever
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend who bleeds is better
My friend confessed she passed the test
And we will never sever
Day's dawning, skin's crawling {x4}
Pure morning {x4}
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend who'll tease is better
Our thoughts compressed
Which makes us blessed
And makes for stormy weather
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend who'll bleed is better
My friend confessed she passed the test
And we will never sever
Day's dawning, skin's crawling {x4}
Pure morning {x8}
A friend in need's a friend indeed
My Japanese is better
And when she's pressed she will undress
And then she's boxing clever
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend with weed is better
A friend with breasts and all the rest
A friend who's dressed in leather.
02 Brick Shithouse (03:18)
Meet The Brick Shithouse
Kiss the Brick Shithouse X6
Meet The Brick Shithouse
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Lay him down, lie on
Lay him down
Now your lover went and put me in the ground,
I'll be watching, when he's around.
Now your lover went and put me in the ground,
I'll be watching
Meet the Brick Shithouse,
Kiss the Brick Shithouse,
Meet the Brick Shithouse,
Kiss.
Lay him down, lie on
Lay him down
Now your lover went and put me in the ground,
I'll be watching, when he's around.
Now your lover went and put me in the ground,
I'll be watching when he's around
When you cum you never make a single sound,
I'll be watching, when he's around,
When he's around, when he's around,
He's around.
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Lay him down, lie on
Lay him down
Now your lover went and put me in the ground,
I'll be watching, when he's around.
Now your lover went and put me in the ground,
I'll be watching when he's around
When you cum you never make a single sound,
I'll be watching, when he's around,
When he's around, when he's around,
He's around.
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
Don't you wish you'd never met her ?
03 You Don't Care About Us (03:58)
If it's a bad day, you try to suffocate.
Another memory is scarred
If it's a bad case, then you accelerate,
you're in the getaway... car.
You don't care about us... oh oh.
You don't care about us... oh oh.
You don't care about us... oh oh
You don't care about us.
If it's a bad case, you're on the rampage.
Another memory... scarred.
You're at the wrong place, you're on the back page,
you're in the getaway... car.
You don't care about us... oh oh.
You don't care about us... oh oh.
You don't care about us... oh oh
You don't care about us.
It's your age, It's my rage.
It's your age, It's my rage.
You're too complicated, we should separate it.
You're just confiscating, you're exasperating.
This degeneration, mental masturbation.
Think I'll leave it all behind, save this bleeding heart of mine.
It's a matter of trust.
It's a matter of trust.
It's a matter of trust.
It's a matter of trust.
Because..
You don't care about us...
You don't care about us...
You don't care about us...
You don't care about us.
It's your age, It's my rage.
It's your age, It's my rage.
04 Ask for Answers (05:19)
Time to pass you to the test
Hanging on my lover's breath
Always coming second best
Pictures of my lover's chest
Get through this night
There are no second chances
This time I might
To ask the sea for answers
Always falling to the floor
Softer than it was before
Dog boy - media whore
It's who the hell you take me for
This time I might
To ask the sea for answers
These bonds are shackle free
Wrapped in lust and lunacy
Tiny touch of jealousy
These bonds are shackle free
Give up this fight, there are no second chances
Get through this night
There are no second chances
This time I might
To ask the sea for answers
These bonds are shackle free
These bonds are shackle free
These bonds are shackle free
These bonds are shackle free
Get through this, there are no second chances
This time, To ask the sea for answers
05 Without You I'm Nothing (04:08)
Strange infatuation seems to grace the evening tide
I'll take it by your side
Such imagination seems to help the feeling slide
I'll take it by your side
Instant correlation sucks and breeds a pack of lies
I'll take it by your side
Oversaturation curls the skin and tans the hide
I'll take it by your side
Tick tock
Tick tock
Tick tick
Tick
Tick
Tick tock
I'm unclean, a libertine
And every time you vent your spleen
I seem to lose the power of speech
You're slipping slowly from my reach
You grow me like an evergreen
You've never seen the lonely me at all
I
Take the plan, spin it sideways
I
Fall
Without you I'm nothing
Without you I'm nothing
Without you I'm nothing
Take the plan, spin it sideways
Without you I'm nothing at all
06 Allergic (to Thoughts of Mother Earth) (03:49)
Any means in your horizon
Heaven in a tourniquet
The after life to keep your eyes on
Bitter pill you take you take today
With expert levitation forward
Polished to the nth degree
It takes it's smile from every children
You take the beating
Any means in your horizon
Everything walks two by two
We gamble to be born again
You know I never wanted to
With expert levitation forward
Polished to the nth degree
It takes it's smile from every children
You take the beating
The light divining
The light defining
The light divining
The light divining
Don't let me down
Let me-he
Let me down
Let me-he
Don't let me down
Let me-he
Let me down
Let me. x2
The light defining
The light divining
The light divining
07 The Crawl (02:59)
It takes the pain away
But could not make you stay
It's way too broke to fix
No glue, no bag of tricks
Lay me down
The lie will unfurl
Lay me down to crawl
Your smile would make me sneeze
When we were siamese
Amazing grace in here
I'd pay to have you near
Lay me down
The lie will unfurl
Lay me down to crawl
Don't go and lose your face
At some stranger's
...place
And don't forget to breathe
And pay before you leave
Lay me down
The lie will unfurl
Lay me down to crawl
Lay me down
The lie will unfurl
Lay me down to crawl
08 Every You Every Me (03:33)
Sucker love is heaven sent
You pucker up, our passion's spent
My hearts a tart your body's rent
My body's broken yours is bent
Carve your name into my arm
Instead of stressed I lie here charmed
'Cause there's nothing else to do
Every me and every you
Sucker love a box I choose
No other box I choose to use
Another love I would abuse
No circumstances could excuse
In the shape of things to come
Too much poison come undone
'Cause there's nothing else to do
Every me and every you
Every me and every you
Every me
Sucker love is known to swing
Prone to cling and waste these things
Pucker up for heaven sake
There's never been so much at stake
I serve my head up on a plate
It's only comfort calling late
Cause there's nothing else to do
Every me and every you
Every me and every you
Every me
Every me and every you
Every me
Like the naked leads the blind
I know I'm selfish I'm unkind
Sucker love I always find
Someone to bruise and leave behind
All alone in space and time
There's nothing here but what here's mine
Something borrowed, something blue
Every me and every you
Every me and every you
Every me
Every me and every you
Every me
Every me and every you
Every me
Every me and every you
Every me
Every me and every you
Every me
Every me and every you
Every me
09 My Sweet Prince (05:45)
Never thought you'd make me perspire
Never thought I'd do you the same
Never thought I'd fill with desire
Never thought I'd feel so ashamed
Me and the Dragon
Can chase all the pain away
So before I end my day
Remember
My sweet prince
You are the one
My sweet prince
You are the one
Never thought I'd have to retire
Never thought I have to abstain
Never thought all this could backfire
Close up the hole in my vein
Me and my valuable friend
Can fix all the pain away
So before I end my day
Remember
My sweet prince
You are the one
My sweet prince
You are the one
You are the one x4
Never thought I'd get any higher
Never thought you'd fuck with my brain
Never thought all this could expire
Never thought you'd go break the chain
Me and you baby
Used to flush all the pain away
So before I end my day
Remember
My sweet prince
You are the one
My sweet prince
You are the one
You are the one x8
My sweet prince
My sweet prince
11 Scared of Girls (03:01)
An introverted kind of soul
The earth did open
Swallow whole
Careening X4
Her next of kin who lived in sin
Was asking God to let her in
Careening X4
I'm a man, a liar
Get into your bed
I gotta place it on the rack
Got a place inside it X3
An extroverted kinda girl
Did tour the world with MC5
Careening X4
Her younger sister, had a blister
Where I kissed her on her thigh
Careening X4
I'm a man a liar
Guaranteed in your bed
I gotta place it on the rack
Got a place inside it
I'm a man a liar
Guaranteed in your bed
I gotta place it on the rack
Got a place inside it X3
I'm a man a liar
Guaranteed in your bed
I gotta place it on the rack
Got a place inside it
I'm a man a liar
Guaranteed in your bed
I gotta place it on the rack
I got a place inside it
I'm a man a liar
Guaranteed in your bed
I gotta place it on the rack
Got a place inside it X3
12 Burger Queen / Evil Dildo (22:39)
Slightly bemused by his lack of direction
Hey You, Hey You
Came to this world by caesarean section
Hey You, Hey You
Chooses his clothes to match his pallid complexion
Hey You, Hey You
Now it takes him all day just to get an erection
Hey You,
Things aren't what they seem.
Makes no sense at all
Things aren't what they seem.
Makes no sense at all
Goes out to cruise and to meet his connection
Hey You, Hey You
He never scores he just gets an infection
Hey You, Hey You
Dreams of a place with a better selection
Hey You, Hey You
Still it takes him all day just to get an erection
Hey You,
Things aren't what they seem
Makes no sense at all,
Things aren't what they seem
Makes no sense at all,
Things aren't what they seem
Makes no sense at all,
Things aren't what they seem
Makes no sense at all,
Luxemburger Queen,
He's a Burger Queen.
Slightly bemused by the total rejection,
Hey You, Hey You,
Came to this world by caesarean section,
Hey You, Hey You,
Dreams of a place with a better selection,
Hey You, Hey You,
Dreams of a face that is pure as perfection,
Hey you,
Things aren't what they seem,
Luxemburger Queen,
Luxemburger Queen,
Luxemburger Queen,
He's a Burger Queen
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By charles
"A friend with weed is better / A friend with breast and all the rest / A friend who’s dressed in leather."
To do something like that, you’re either absolutely sure of yourself or you’ve taken something strong (in the case of Placebo, I think both hypotheses hold true...)
By Napolinelcuore
Molko’s voice defines the true strength of the group, characterized by a distinct versatility.
Without you I’m nothing is objectively a fine record in the 90s British rock scene, which... has the ability to strike the listener on an emotional level.
